


the very first page

by foxescripts



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Canon Compliant, First Meetings, Fluff, Hinata Shouyou-centric, Kinda, M/M, POV Hinata Shouyou, a lot of time skips
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-22
Updated: 2020-03-22
Packaged: 2021-02-28 20:46:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23263435
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/foxescripts/pseuds/foxescripts
Summary: Shouyou wasn’t against soulmates. It was nice, he guessed, knowing that there was someone that was meant for you alone.Yet the idea that you couldn’t choose who they were, that the universe just somehow decided that it would be nice to connect your fates together, didn’t sit well with himOne day, I'm gonna set for you
Relationships: Hinata Shouyou/Miya Atsumu
Comments: 88
Kudos: 1639





	the very first page

Shouyou was five when his Mom explained to him what soulmates and soulmarks were.

He'd known them then. At least, the basics. That there was someone out there that's connected to you. And the first thing they'd ever say to you was written on your skin. The soulmates theme was also heavily featured on TV. Each time, it was set in a romantic light that ended up with a kiss. Not like he could see it because his Mom would cover his eyes once it reached that part..

So he knew. 

He knew that your soulmate was the person who was ‘destined’ to fall in love with you. Even when his five year old brain couldn't understand the meaning of romantic love yet. But he knew love. He loved his Mom after all. And if this “romantic” love was anything close to what he was feeling to his Mom, then maybe Shouyou should look forward to this love, too.

But his Mom didn't explain it that way. No, she did explain it that way. But there was one thing that she had said that stuck in Shouyou's mind the most.

"Your soulmate - and your soulmark - is a reminder for you to keep going," she had said, and then she smiled. Like she was expecting her five year old son to fully understand what she had said. “You’d understand it when you grow up. I promise.”

He didn’t understand at that time, but he nodded anyway.

"Can I see your soulmark?" she said. She always did that. Always asking first if she could see it even when she'd already seen it countless times.

Shouyou smiled and nodded, "Okay!" Then he pushed his shirt down so his Mom could see it. 

She laughed, "Careful," she said.

There it was - on Shouyou’s chest. With its yellow ink and messy penmanship, it stood out. His Mom said, while chuckling, that it was his soulmate’s handwriting.

She also said that it was on a beautiful spot - on the top part of his chest, close to his heart.

"' _Shouyou-kun. One day, I'm gonna set for you',"_ she read.

And Shouyou tried to copy her.

" _One day, I'm gonna set for you."_

\--

He didn't know what it meant.

He knew what the words meant separately, but together, they didn't make sense.

Why would they say that to Shouyou the first time they speak? Also, 'Shouyou-kun'? Wasn't that a bit too familiar for someone you'd talk to for the first time?

He didn’t know. And there was no knowing until his soulmate was right in front of him, and saying those words.

So, he didn't think much of it.

\--

Growing up, Shouyou wasn’t against soulmates. It was nice, he guessed, knowing that there was someone who would undeniably be drawn to you. Someone that was meant for you alone.

Yet, at the same time, the idea that you couldn’t choose who they were, that the universe just somehow decided that it would be nice to connect your fates together, didn’t sit well with him.

\--

He hated being trapped in a cage. 

\--

It was purely coincidental when he saw him on TV that day. 

"Him" being The Little Giant.

Shouyou stopped, and watched. 

He had admired a lot of people in the past. His friends. His teachers. His upperclassmen. His Mom. 

But this was a different kind of admiration. He’d had the urge to come to them and praise them, but this was the first time that he thought, “I want to be like them.”

Shouyou was awestruck, and could only watch with held breath as The Little Giant stole everyone’s attention. Wondering how someone so tiny compared to the rest of his teammates could hold that big of a presence. 

And then he was flying.

And Shouyou realized that he wanted that too. For himself.

\--

That night, with the help of his Mom, he looked up the sport and learned everything that he could for a single night. There was too much information that he was sure he would forget some of them the next morning. But something stood out to him.

The setters. 

Shouyou stared at the imprinted letters on his screen through the mirror. 

_One day, I'm gonna set for you._

Suddenly, it made more sense.

\--

It made sense, Shouyou thought.

And with that came the curiosity.

\--

"Shouyou, can I ask about your soulmark?" Izumi asked one time after he helped him practice. Shouyou might not be the luckiest when it came to the club, given that he was the only official member of it, but he was lucky that he had good friends that were willing to help him.

"What about it?" he said, laying down on the soft grass and catching his breath.

Izuku sat beside him, "What do you know about it? Or about them?"

Shouyou pondered the question for a second. Izumi didn't usually ask him about his soulmark, or about soulmates in general. Shouyou thought that maybe he was just shy. If anything, Izumi was the kind of person who was interested in the romance part of the soulmarks.

"Well," Hinata started, "I know that they play volleyball," he finished. _And they're a setter._

"Really?" Izumi seemed excited at the idea. "Wow! Is that one of the reasons why you play volleyball?"

The answer was no. If anything, volleyball was one of the reasons why his soulmark had started to hold more meaning to him. It became less of:

_This is your destiny. This is what’s written for you and you have to accept it whether you like it or not._

And more of a:

_“Someone out there thinks you’re good enough to want to have you on their side. Prove that they’re not wrong.”_

Shouyou liked the latter a lot more. That way, he felt like he was more in control of his life.

It challenged him. _They_ pushed him forward.

"Of course not!" he answered Izumi, sitting up so he could lean into his space, a frown on his face. "I wanna play volleyball for me!"

Izumi laughed, and pushed his face with his palm. "Okay, okay! Don't be so mad!" He paused, before he continued, "Can I see your mark?"

Shouyou had always been honest. Open. He had nothing to hide and nothing to be ashamed of. But there were some things he preferred to keep to himself. His soulmate being the only one on that list.

So Shouyou smiled widely at Izumu, and said, a little bit too cheerfully, “Nope! Sorry!” and stood, quickly running to the direction of the net. “Come on, Izumi! Let’s play!”

“Why aren’t you tired yet?!”

\--

Shouyou wondered what was written on his soulmate's skin. Was it something as telling as Shouyou's? An opportunity?A reassurance? A promise? Or maybe it was something so common that could be easily missed if they weren’t paying attention?

Shouyou wouldn’t miss meeting his soulmate, he knew. The words may be inked on his skin only, but he had seen the words enough that they might as well be engraved in his head, too.

What would push them to say those words to Shouyou? Were they looking forward to their meeting? Would Shouyou lived up to whatever expectation they had in their head? 

The curiosity turned into hope.

\--

Shouyou met Kageyama. And for the first time in his life, he felt defeat. He was a lot... _more_ than what Shouyou was. He wanted to climb a mountain and yell at nothing whenever he would think about the gap in their abilities.

But there was awe. There was wonder of what more could be out there. What more _he_ could be.

\--

_They must be great_ , Shouyou’s thought, referring to his soulmate, _to be able to say something with that much confidence and conviction._

Shouyou didn’t know if he was talking about them as another volleyball player, or as a soulmate.

\--

Just when he thought that there could be nothing more disappointing than his loss to Kageyama, Aoba Johsai happened.

Shouyou sniffled, as he splashed water to his face, rubbing his face with his palms with a lot more force needed when washing your face.

That night, Shouyou didn’t glance at his soulmark - something that had become a nightly routine to him.

It was a stupid thought. He didn’t know who they were. And yet he was wondering if he had somehow disappointed them. If one day, they would regret even implying that they’d want Shouyou on their side.

\--

Last night’s thoughts were depressing. But the screaming and running session with Kageyama helped. 

Losing still sucked. But what could he do? It happened.

He had to move forward. For himself. For Karasuno.

(And he had a soulmate waiting for him. A soulmate he couldn’t disappoint.

\--

Years ago, his Mom had said that your soulmate would remind you to keep going. He didn’t understand it then. But now…

Shouyou tore his gaze away from his chest, and wore his shirt. He couldn’t spend too much time thinking about this or he’d be late. They had Nationals to win, after all.

\---

Miya Atsumu just dissed him, didn’t he?

This guy who he’d never talked to ever had just indirectly made fun of him _and_ in front of him. What arrogance.

“What did you say?!” Shouyou exclaimed. For a second, he thought he saw something flash in his eyes. But it was gone in an instant, Hinata had might as well just imagined it. Miya Atsumu ignored his presence then.

\--

“Shouyou-kun. One day, I’m gonna set for you.”

Paused.

What..-

What?

Did he just say - what?

Before Shouyou could respond to that, Miya Atsumu had already turned his back to him, and said something about defeating them next year. And while Shouyou was usually the type of person who wouldn’t back down from an obvious challenge, this time, he couldn’t react. He gaped at his back. Watched as Miya Osamu teased him and when he spared a glance at Shouyou’s direction, there was something unreadable on his eyes.

He knew. 

He knew about Shouyou. Which meant Atsumu knew about Shouyou even before he did.

Shouyou struggled to remember the first thing he directly said to Atsumu.

Before Shouyou could find his voice, Kageyama called him, “What are you looking like an idiot there? He just said he’s gonna beat us. Obviously, we won’t let that happen. Come on.”

He was wrong. Kageyama was wrong. That wasn’t the reason why he couldn’t stop staring at Atsumu. That wasn’t the reason why even when they were thanking the audience for supporting them, he couldn’t help that his eyes always seemed to look for Atsumu.

That wasn’t the reason why his chest felt heavy when Atsumu, not even once, dared to look at him.

\--

“Hinata, what’s wrong?”

Shouyou tore his gaze away from the direction where the Inarizaki team just left. Kiyoko was staring at her with concern. Shouyou licked his lips before he answered, “Can you...go on without me, Kiyoko-san?” She tilted her head in curiosity, before she could ask why, Shouyou continued, “Please! I’ll be quick! Promise!”

Kiyoko stared at him like she was trying to find something in him. He didn’t know what but all he knew was that her inquisitive gaze was making him want to bounce on his feet with anxiety.

And then she said, “Okay...But don’t take too long.”

Shouyou beamed, “Thank you!”

He liked to think that the tilt on Kiyoko’s lips was a smile, too.

“Is it important?” she asked before Shouyou could leave.

_Is it?_

Shouyou thought of his soulmark, and how it felt heavier on his chest - like it was trying to separate from his skin. He thought of what his Mom said all those years ago, about how a soulmate was the person who would keep you going. He thought of the first time his soulmark actually felt relevant of him. He thought of how his soulmark was a promise of many opportunities in the future.

He thought of Miya Atsumu. Of how he refused to look at Shouyou’s direction, almost like he didn’t want to acknowledge him. Like he didn’t want to acknowledge their connection.

He thought of the seconds on the court before he turned his back to him. When he pointed his finger at Shouyou - tired, breathless, but with conviction.

_“Shouyou-kun. One day, I’m gonna set for you.”_

He thought of how many times those words had pushed him forward.

“Yes,” he answered, “Yes, it is.”

\--

It wasn’t difficult to find the team. They seemed like they were having a serious discussion until one of them saw Shouyou. Suna…? That was his name, right?

He raised his hand and pointed to him. “Number 10,” was all he said, and every single member looked over their shoulders and stared at Shouyou. Well, all except for two.

Miya Atsumu wasn’t looking at him. Miya Osamu was looking at his brother like he was studying his reaction.

Under all the gazes, Shouyou truly felt like a prey lured in a predator’s lair.

“Is there something you need?” one of them said.

Atsumu still refused to look at his direction. His twin, on the other hand, was shifting his gaze from Atsumu to him and everytime it was in his direction - it was apologetic. Almost like a _pity glance._

Screw that.

He acknowledged him today. Shouyou could make him do it again.

He took a deep breath, and raised his head, and said, “Excuse me. I need to talk to Atsumu-san,” he said, eyes on the back of Atsumu’s head. There was a light flinch that he would’ve missed if he wasn’t paying attention to him, but oh, was he paying close attention to him.

Shouyou felt informal and impolite calling him by his first name this soon. But there were two Miyas. And he wanted to be clear which Miya he was talking about.

“Did my troublesome kouhai say something rude to you before we left?” their captain - Kita - said. “I apologize on his behalf. Atsumu’s just always like that.”

“Hey!” Atsumu said, the first solid reaction Shouyou got from him - well, indirectly. 

The rest of the team chimed in at that.

“Atsumu! Seriously, why are you always picking a fight with people from different teams?” 

“Ew. Do you even know how much you’re humiliating the team?”

“Grow up, man.”

“Is no one here on my side?!” Atsumu exclaimed and finally - finally, he faced forward, and while he was still avoiding Shouyou’s eyes, at least Shouyou was no longer talking to the back of his head.

“Well, what? You expect us to think that this guy here started a beef with you? Come on, don’t make me laugh.”

Shouyou watched their interaction, and he could only smile and barely hide a laugh at them. They were his opponents, yes, but they were no different to his own team.

“Hey! Don’t laugh!” Atsumu said to him.

There. Finally, he addressed Shouyou himself.

Shouyou stopped laughing, but he couldn’t stop the smile that broke on his face.

And then their eyes met. 

It was brief, with Atsumu avoiding his eyes right away. But Shouyou knew that he wasn’t imagining the light pink dusting on his cheeks.

He wasn’t the only one who noticed it. 

“Oh,” Kita said, “ _Oh_.” He said it in a way like he had just discovered a secret. Then he smiled and ushered the team away. “I think they need to talk alone. Let’s leave them.”

“Huh- “

“No buts. I’m still your captain, remember?”

He smiled at him then, and Shouyou wanted to thank him. “Goodluck,” he said to Atsumu. Shouyou wanted to personally thank him. Maybe he could do it later - if this conversation would end well.

Osame stayed with them even before the team had disappeared from their sight. It’s not until Atsumu said, “It’s fine,” did he nod, gave Shouyou one last calculating look, and left.

\--

Eye to eye, at last.

\--

Silence.

The hallway was deserted, both a curse and a blessing as Shouyou almost felt like he was suffocating from the silence. Neither of them were saying anything, like they were waiting for the other to speak up.

Shouyou licked his dry lips, opened his mouth and - 

"You couldn't have picked better first words?"

And was abruptly cut off by Atsumu.

"Huh…?"

"Seriously? 'What did you say'? Do you know how ordinary that was?" Atsumu continued, staring at Shouyou with a frown on his face. "I could easily miss that, you know! What if you said it and I wasn't paying attention? Then I wouldn't know that I already met my soul-...my soul-..." 

He was definitely blushing, Shouyou noted, feeling something warm build up in his chest at the sight of it.

His soulmate - no, Atsumu was different from what he was expecting. Shouyou couldn't say that he was disappointed.

"- met you. I wouldn't know that I met you," Atsumu said instead.

He was...he was disappointed because of the possibility that he might have missed his soulmate? Which meant he wanted to meet his soulmate, right? 

"You knew. Why didn't you tell me?"

"We have a game. I can't just come up to you and say, hey, we’re destined to be- ?"

"Then why didn't you tell me right after the match? You wouldn't even look at me. Are you, what, disappointed that it's me- "

"Well, I didn't plan to look like a complete loser in front of my soulmate the first time we meet, you know!"

Shouyou closed his mouth at that, every argument he had dying on his tongue. “I don’t think you’re a loser,” he said instead, a little bit too silent that Atsumu probably didn’t hear it. 

But he did. “Of course you’d say that. You beat us.”

Shouyou felt something in his chest. Something prickly. Something intense that it quickly travelled up his whole body. Something heated it made his vein pop.

Irritation.

He clenched his fist and walked into Atsumu’s space. “I thought you said you’re gonna beat us next year?” He stood on his tiptoes so he could at least be eye to eye with him. Damn tall people. “Or what?” Shouyou poked his chest with his pointing finger, “are you all bark and no bite?”

For a second, Shouyou thought he pissed off Atsumu with the way his scowl deepened, and he was expecting to be told off. But no.

Atsumu said, “Give me a second,” turned on his back and walked away from Shouyou to one of the - what he assumed - broom closet and then - 

And then there was a muffled scream. 

Everything happened so fast that Shouyou realized that he was still on his tiptoes, and lowered himself.

He was still wearing that confused expression by the time Atsumu came out from the closet, his bangs messy like he just pushed his face on something - his bag, probably.

“Uhm, what was that all about?” Shouyou asked when Atsumu walked towards him, and stopped in a reasonable distance so they weren’t breathing in each other’s space.

Atsumu was flushed. His face was unbelievably red that Shouyou was worried if his blood was even flowing in other parts of his body. “Getting my shit together,” he answered.

Shouyou tilted his head to the side in confusion. “Did it work?”

“Just a little.”

Atsumu didn’t say anything then. And before Shouyou could stop himself, he blurted, “You’re different than I thought.”

He chuckled, but it was humorless. “What? Are you disappointed?”

Atsumu said it with reassuring confidence and apathy, but Shouyou noticed the subtle way he was fiddling with his bag strap. And how he was trying to look directly at Shouyou only to avoid his eyes and stare at nothing at the wall like it was a lot more interesting than Shouyou.

 _Oh,_ Shouyou thought with a barely suppressed smile, _he’s nervous._

Miya Atsumu might be cuter than he thought.

“No,” Shouyou said, “not at all.”

\--

This was better.

Shouyou wanted to say but he didn’t. 

Judging from the way Atsumu looked at him - finally - and smiled - tiny, but it was there - he didn’t need to.

-

“So you knew before me. What did you think?” Shouyou asked, accepting the orange juice Atsumu offered to him before sitting on the seat beside his. There was a space between them that Shouyou wanted to cross but he figured that if Atsumu left that space, maybe he wasn’t that comfortable yet with close contact. “Wait, don’t answer that! You totally thought I was a scrub.”

Atsumu at least had the nerve to look ashamed. “I didn’t mean to insult my soulmate the first time I met them…” he shook his head, “Uh, Osamu would say he expected it.” he laughed then rubbed the back of his head.

Shouyou was silent for a second - his mind occupied by one word that left Atsumu’s mouth before he said, “You said it.” 

“Hm?”

“Soulmate. That’s the first time you said soulmate.”

“Oh,” Atsumu said, light blush dusting his cheeks. “Yeah. Well...you are. My soulmate.”

“And you’re my soulmate,” Shouyou said, and suddenly, Atsumu was a lot closer than before, the sides of their thighs touching. Who moved…? “Sorry if your soulmark isn’t as...poetic...as mine, though.”

“That’s probably my fault for bating you, right?”

Shouyou pretended to think about it. “Hm. Yeah, it’s totally your fault.” And then, “Can I see it? The mark?”

“I’d show it to you…”

That was leading to a no. “But…”

“But it’s on my chest. And I don’t think you want me to undress on the first day. Especially not publicly,” he said, with a smile. And in a split second, almost like someone else was in his body, he leaned in and smirked, “Unless you’re into that?” he whispered, breath tickling Shouyou’s lips.

Shouyou stared. 

And stared.

And stared.

And felt the heat creeping up his neck, and to his cheeks.

He felt comfort over the fact that Atsumu was blushing too. Almost like he was drenched with cold water, he stood - then sat on the floor, knees to his chest, and arms covering his face. “I don’t know why I said that. I’m sorry!”

Despite how warm his face felt, Shouyou laughed. “It’s fine. It’s fine!”

It seemed like it would take Shouyou a while to completely grasp the personality of his soulmate.

“Ahhhhh,” Atsumu groaned, stretching his legs, and draping his arm on the bench behind him. “This sucks! I don’t know how to act around you!” he said, more to himself than to anyone. He tilted his head so he could look up at Shouyou. “What am I gonna do, Shouyou-kun?”

_Shouyou-kun._

Shouyou-kun already when this was the first time they met.

Shouyou remembered his thoughts before. About how his soulmate was probably someone impolite and informal to address someone who they met for the first time with their first name.

He didn’t mind. Not at all.

“I’d show you my soulmark but I couldn’t do it now for the same reason as you,” Shouyou said instead of answering his question, one hand resting on the bench beside Atsumu’s head to support his weight as he stared at him.

Atsumu smiled, “Maybe one day.”

“Yeah. And…you don’t have to worry about that...just be yourself?” Shouyou said.

“Are you reassuring me or are you asking me?” Atsumu said, one eyebrow raised. “Besides, if I do that, I bet you’ll run away while screaming.”

Shouyou smiled. “You’re exaggerating. I won’t do that.”

“Uh-huh.”

Atsumu meant what he was saying, Shouyou thought. He truly believed that Shouyou wouldn’t like him for his personality.

It would take a while before he could completely understand Atsumu. 

It would.

But this was just the beginning.

So, Shouyou leaned forward - watched as Atsumu’s eyes widened but didn’t make a move to pull away from him. 

Shouyou stopped when their noses touched, staring at Atsumu’s brown eyes and noting the speck of golds dusting on it upon closer look.

“Try me,” he said, and he meant it.

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> let's pretend that "one day, i'm gonna set for you" is actually atsumu's first words to him lmao thank u so much
> 
> thank you for reading! leave me comments if u want i treasure them a lot 
> 
> nyanayuki @ twitter drew fanart!!! ahhhhh look at it  
> [here!!!](https://twitter.com/nyanayuki/status/1281442469520048130)


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